Top 10: Bizarre sporting injuries

Kim-possibly unlucky: Clijsters had her share of mishaps (Picture: Getty)

Wolves player Carl Ikeme will miss the rest of the season for the Championship strugglers after letting fly with an ill-advised punch. The goalkeeper lost his temper at half-time in his team’s victory over Bristol City on Saturday, whacked a tactics board in frustration and broke his hand in the process.

The Nigerian, of course, isn’t the first sportsperson to sustain a bizarre injury. Here are ten of our favourites:

Dancing barefoot at her cousin’s wedding in 2011, the brilliant Belgian turned her ankle, then had her toe trodden on as she limped off the dancefloor.

As if that weren’t enough, the multiple grand slam winner once fell over her dog Diesel in her garden – and as Diesel’s a great Dane, that’s one hell of a fall and resulted in a bruised coccyx.

Alex Stepney (shouting)
Famously shouted so violently at his Manchester United defence that he broke his own jaw. That must have been some truly lousy defending.

Shout of action: Ferdinand was hurt putting his feet up (Picture: Getty)

Rio Ferdinand (nothing)
One of the most cool, composed and classy defenders in world football he may be, but even Rio is not exempt from a daft injury.
In his Leeds days, Ferdinand put his feet up to watch a bit of telly but, when he tried to move, realised he had strained a tendon behind his knee.

Adam Eaton (knife)
This luckless baseballer managed to do himself some serious damage opening a DVD with a knife in 2001. In trying to prise the case, the San Diego Padres pitcher stabbed himself in the stomach. He made a full recovery, in case you were worried.

Derek Pringle (a letter)Former Essex and England man Pringle, now a respected cricket writer, had to pull out of a 1980s Test match when he put his back out typing a letter.

Leroy Lita (bed)
No place is safe for a sports star – not even tucked up under a duvet. Reading striker Lita was sidelined after a stretch went wrong and he pulled a muscle in his leg back in 2007.

Blanka Vlastic (door)
Croatian high jumper Vlastic was stretching in her Berlin hotel room, where she was staying for the 2009 world championships, when she stood up and smacked her head against a door post and bled badly.
She managed to compete with a bandaged head but only after the doctor originally stitching her up did her back in and had to be helped away while another medic stepped in.

Hot stuff: Poached eggs must be treated with respect (Picture: AP)

Kirk Broadfoot (eggs)
The Rangers defender checked on some freshly microwaved poached eggs only for one of them to explode and squirt scalding water into his face.

Dave Beasant (salad cream)
One-time England goalkeeper Beasant was a big fella and famously made history for Wimbledon’s Crazy Gang in 1988 with the first penalty save in an FA Cup final.
He showed less safe hands as a Chelsea man five years later when he dropped a jar of salad cream, instinctively stuck out a foot to save it and severed a tendon in his big toe.
More a case of mayo toes than butter fingers – and we’re not too proud to include this well-known yarn in our list.

David Batty (tricycle)
As one of English football’s hardmen, Batty was feared by rivals but met his match when his young son took him out on his little three-wheeler and damaged the Leeds and England midfielder’s Achilles tendons – he was sidelined for several weeks.